The Eldest Daughter Returns: Imperial Uncle, I'm Pregnant!

Yes! If the Ning family falls into misfortune, then the military strength in the northern border will be weakened. In order to take a bite out of the Ning family army, the person in the center of power will have to come up with all sorts of methods. If a war breaks out in the northern border, then the prince will have to come back and find a way to provide support.

If either Xiao Yuhuai or Xiao Yuheng were to launch a coup at that time, the prince would be in a difficult situation, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he would be unable to be in two places at once.

Gu Qingwan suddenly sat up straight and exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that Xiao Yuhuai not only colluded with the Southern Frontier but also had connections with the Northern Frontier!"

Hearing the noise inside, Baoqin quietly entered the room and saw that Gu Qingwan had already sat up. As Baoqin drew back the bed curtains, she asked softly, "What's wrong, Your Highness? Did you have a nightmare?"

"The fact that Xiao Yuhuai chose this time to launch an attack on the Chu Prince's Mansion means that he wants to use the Ning family's name to control me. But if something happens to me, the Prince's side will definitely be thrown into chaos. What does that mean?"

"Huh? What does that mean?" Baoqin looked completely confused, but for some reason she was willing to repeat after Gu Qingwan.

"This means there's trouble on the Prince's side! Ning Chengze killing Gu Ziming was just a pretext, so Gu Ziming must not be a good person either. I always thought he was Xiao Yuheng's man, just as Xiao Yuheng was also self-righteous, thinking that the people who supported him were truly loyal to him. In reality, those people were all planted by Xiao Yuhuai."

"The Second Prince's people?" Baoqin found it somewhat unbelievable.

"Yes, but Xiao Yuhuai didn't expect the Emperor to suddenly pull such a drastic move, directly seizing power and deposing the Prime Minister. This indirectly rendered Gu Ziming useless, so the other side would definitely want him to make the most of his last bit of value and create a charge that the Ning family was guilty of treason."

If Xiao Yuhuai's operation is perfect enough, the Ning family may very well get bogged down in this mess and unable to extricate themselves. If the Southern Frontier and the Northern Frontier collude at that time and war breaks out on both sides, then Daqing will be in chaos.

"Baoqin, go and find a way for Ning Er to meet with Bafianyu. Ask him if anyone in the Bafian royal family has reached an agreement with Southern Xinjiang."

"Your Highness, Prince Buffy is in dire straits himself. Is it possible for him to find out?"

Gu Qingwan sneered, "You think he's an easy target? He's currently under house arrest, but he's actually hiding a lot of strength. Take the person who came to the Prince's mansion to deliver the message last time, for example; he's a rare expert."

"I need to write letters to the Prince and my maternal grandfather separately, telling them to be careful."

However, instead of news from Bafianyu, news came from the palace that Consort Chun was pregnant. The imperial physician calculated that the date was the same month the emperor had last visited her. The emperor was overjoyed and immediately became Consort Chun because of her pregnancy.

This matter not only surprised Gu Qingwan, but also surprised Duke Wen and Wen Liangwen.

"Father, you can't be mistaken, can you? I haven't even entered the palace yet." Wen Liang asked incredulously. He had agreed to the suggestion back then, but he hadn't chosen a good time recently and hadn't gone yet.

Duke Wen frowned even more deeply and asked, "Rou'er, are you sure that when you told Princess Nazha about this plan, she agreed to it?"

"She did agree, and it seems she didn't even know she was pregnant. But what a coincidence that we suggested pregnancy could solve our current predicament, and she got pregnant?"

Duke Wen felt there was something fishy about this matter, but he just couldn't quite put his finger on it.

“Princess Nazha is truly shrewd. Now that she knows our purpose, it means this person can no longer be allowed to stay, otherwise he will become a threat to us sooner or later.”

"Father, what should we do?"

Duke Wen shook his head and said, "I need to think about it carefully."

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the renovation of Princess Zirui's mansion was completed. The Emperor took pity on his aunt and allowed her to continue living in the former residence of the Prince. However, this was only a temporary arrangement, and the Emperor would take the mansion back after her death.

But that's enough, it shows that the emperor is willing to give her face.

Even with the Emperor acting this way, Gu Qingwan still went directly to Princess Zirui's plum blossom appreciation banquet.

Although the weather was a bit cold, there was a warm greenhouse in the palace, where the old prince had tended to his plants, which was a very pleasing sight.

Princess Zirui received the ladies and noblewomen who came to visit, and Zhu Qian'er was dressed very charmingly today. Just like her name, she had red lips and a beautiful figure. She spoke and acted very appropriately and treated the young ladies who came to visit very well.

"Your Highness, it seems the Princess wants to find a good family for this concubine's daughter," Siqi whispered.

"That child did have that intention, but it was all for nothing."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Siqi asked, puzzled.

Shi Shu explained from the side, "Although the princess intends to help her illegitimate daughter find a good family in the capital, those who can establish themselves in the capital are either rich or noble. Princess Zi Rui only has a nice name now, but nothing else. Such a family with nothing will have very few suitors, let alone an illegitimate daughter, who has even less to offer."

"Oh? That's too tragic! Does that mean you'll never be able to get married?"

Gu Qingwan sipped her floral tea and looked at the flowers in the greenhouse, saying, "No, they'll eventually get married, it's just that they might not be the ones we want."

"The Princess Consort and the Crown Princess have arrived."

In the distance, the Crown Princess was surrounded by a group of people as she entered the flower room. The Crown Princess was a gentle and kind woman, and the ladies of the various families all had a good impression of her poise and grace. With a smile on her face, the Crown Princess patiently answered the questions of those around her.

Upon seeing the Princess Consort of Chu, the Crown Princess made an excuse to leave the crowd.

"Greetings to my Imperial Aunt."

"No need for formalities." Gu Qingwan glanced at her complexion and thought it was a good thing. However, there were too many divisions in the flower room at the moment. She stood up and said, "Does the Crown Princess have time to accompany me to see the scenery of the Prince's Mansion?"

"Of course I'm available, please, Your Majesty."

Other ladies around wanted to go along, but the Princess Consort of Chu had only invited the Crown Princess and hadn't called them, so they wisely refrained from following.

Upon arriving at a relatively open area, Gu Qingwanhe naturally took the Crown Princess's hand, partly because she felt the road was a bit slippery and wanted to protect her from slipping, and partly to take her pulse.

"It's full of pollen, which isn't good for you. You should avoid going to places like that in the future. Your pulse is strong and powerful, which means you're quite obedient."

The Crown Princess was overjoyed upon hearing this. She couldn't help but touch her lower abdomen and said, "When the Crown Prince came back last time, he told me everything that my aunt had instructed him to do, and he repeated it every day. Naturally, I was very careful. This child was hard-won, and I must thank my aunt."

"No need. Since you and the Crown Prince have your own plans, then you should take good care of yourselves. Remember not to take any medicine or pregnancy-preserving drugs indiscriminately. Just eat three normal meals a day. Eat sweet foods and pasta in moderation, otherwise it will have the opposite effect. Also, eat nutritious foods in moderation. Don't let the baby get too big in your belly."

The Crown Princess asked, somewhat puzzled, "Wouldn't it be better if the child were a little older? Why...?"

Gu Qingwan simply said, "The baby is too big for a difficult birth."

The Crown Princess was immediately startled. This term was not unfamiliar to her. In the inner palace, how many women died because of difficult childbirth? Some died while leaving their children, while others lost both mother and child. She did not want such a thing to happen to her.

"I will remember what you said, Aunt. Thank you, Aunt."

"It's alright. You just need to find a way to let me take your pulse every month. As for what method to use, you can figure it out yourselves. Of course, it would be best if you could find someone you trust, then you wouldn't have to bother me."

The Crown Princess remained silent for a while. She and the Crown Prince naturally had a doctor they trusted. Otherwise, how could anyone avoid getting sick? The Crown Prince had many political enemies, and poisoning and assassination were common occurrences. It was always good to have a trusted confidant. Moreover, she had heard that Doctor Xue was no longer in the mansion. Perhaps Princess Chu knew some medical skills, but she was still unwilling to take the risk when it came to their first child.

"Aunt, I will discuss this with the Crown Prince when we get back. To be honest, the Crown Prince's residence does have a trustworthy doctor whom he has invited from outside. Although his medical skills are not as good as those of Doctor Xue, he can still treat most common illnesses."

Gu Qingwan nodded and said, "That's good. It's better to have a professional doctor take care of you."

The Crown Princess's maid stepped forward and reminded her, "Your Highness, it's too cold outside and the roads are slippery. Let's go back so the Crown Prince won't worry."

The Crown Princess scolded, "Who gave you the right to speak? Can't you see that I and the Princess of Chu are talking?"

Gu Qingwan waved her hand and said, "What she said is not wrong. Go ahead and get busy. When you're done, just find an excuse to go home early."

I used to think the Crown Princess was a generous woman. But people do become petty when they encounter things they care about, and Gu Qingwan wasn't angry.

"Thank you for your understanding, Aunt. I'll go to the back and talk to the ladies first, and then I'll go back in a little while. Would you like to come with me, Aunt?"

"No, I've heard that the plum garden in the Prince's mansion is the most beautiful. I'll admire it for a while while no one's around. You may leave now."

After the Crown Princess led her entourage away, Siqi muttered unhappily, "Who in the world has better medical skills than our Princess! It's like standing right in front of a master and not recognizing them..."

"Alright, there's a reason why she's being so cautious these days. Let's leave it at that. We don't need to worry about it so much. Also, I don't want anyone to know about my medical skills, as it might cause unnecessary trouble."

"Your Highness, shall we go for a stroll in the plum garden?"

"Let's not go. Let's sit in the flower hall in front. We'll head back later."

Anyone who has ever been pregnant knows that it's best to avoid places like flower rooms, since there are quite a few cases of malicious people using pollen to harm others. Therefore, Gu Qingwan guessed that Lady Chen, the wife of Marquis Yi'an, would definitely not go to the flower room.

Sure enough, they encountered Lady Yi'an Marquis, Lady Heir Apparent, and Su Xi in the flower hall.

"Oh, I didn't expect to meet Your Highness here. This humble servant greets Your Highness." It was clearly a standard greeting, but today, with her pregnant belly, Madam Chen's gesture was awkward and unseemly.

Gu Qingwan was not angry at all. On the contrary, she was very happy and stepped forward to hold Xiao Chen's wrist and help her up herself.

"Lady Yi'an is still being so polite. It's completely unnecessary. Marquis Yi'an is fighting for the country abroad, so we should treat his family with courtesy."

Madam Chen was overjoyed. She smiled and said, "Your Highness the Princess knows how to speak. I believe that when the Marquis finds out, he will be even more grateful to our Emperor and the Prince."

Gu Qingwan noticed that Zhu Xiaoyan's complexion wasn't what she had expected, and asked, "The Crown Prince's wife has also arrived. How is your recovery going?"

Zhu Xiaoyan had come here despite her physical condition in order to bring Su Xi to the Princess of Chu.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am almost fully recovered. I was feeling cooped up in the mansion, so I came with my mother for a stroll. Oh, by the way, this is the Crown Prince's cousin, Su Xi. Does Your Highness remember her?"